royal oak plus charcoal


 

jason.yee

TVWBB Fan
i will be going to Ontario Gas BBQ tomorrow to purchase my WSM (yay!) so i decided to go to a couple local stores today to see what charcoal was available. i wanted to find some kingsford but had no luck at both stores which i find a little odd because i remember kingsford being one of the most popular.

home hardware had one brand that was lump from argentina. it was a fairly small bag so im guessing it was around 4kg for $9.99. i decided not to get that.

canadian tire only stocks royal oak now. they had the 4kg lump for $7.29, 8kg lump for $14.99 and 18lb briquettes for $8.49. i ended up grabbing a bag of the briqs so i hope they are good (or at least decent).

any comments regarding this stuff?

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ps. i envy you americans with all the low prices for charcoal.
 
how are these compared to maple leaf briquettes?

i mean, these are $8.49 for 8kg while maple leaf is $14.99 for the same weight. is maple leaf worth almost double the price? or should i just stick with the royal oak plus?
 
I think the RO Plus briqs are great. I've used many many bags of them.

Can't compare them to the ML briqs, not been able to try those but I have used a comparable product, and I would opt for the RO Plus at the prices you stated. You will likely find the RO Plus briqs don't burn quite as long but not so much to nullify the cost difference.

The RO Plus bags state on the side something to the effect 'Not to be used in a water smoker'. Wasn't able to find out why, I even tried calling a few Royal Oak phone numbers I found. As stated I've used lots of them, and I'm still alive.

Watch for the sales on that product at Wal-Mart and CT in the fall and stock up.
 
Originally posted by Shawn W:
I think the RO Plus briqs are great. I've used many many bags of them.

Can't compare them to the ML briqs, not been able to try those but I have used a comparable product, and I would opt for the RO Plus at the prices you stated. You will likely find the RO Plus briqs don't burn quite as long but not so much to nullify the cost difference.

The RO Plus bags state on the side something to the effect 'Not to be used in a water smoker'. Wasn't able to find out why, I even tried calling a few Royal Oak phone numbers I found. As stated I've used lots of them, and I'm still alive.

Watch for the sales on that product at Wal-Mart and CT in the fall and stock up.

thanks for the input!

i may grab a bag of maple leaf tomorrow just to try anyway.

i remember reading somewhere that i should coat the inside of a new WSM and let charcoal burn for a few hours before i actually start using it with food? cant seem to find a thread about that.
 
Quote: i remember reading somewhere that i should coat the inside of a new WSM and let charcoal burn for a few hours before i actually start using it with food? cant seem to find a thread about that.

Jason, I washed mine out with soap and water, let it sun dry and cooked on the next morning.

I think you should wash out to remove any production oil and metal residue. After that start Q'n my friend!
 
Originally posted by Glenn W:
Jason, I washed mine out with soap and water, let it sun dry and cooked on the next morning.

I think you should wash out to remove any production oil and metal residue. After that start Q'n my friend!

perfect. that would save me some time and maybe i can start q'ing tomorrow evening and be able to have a late night snack.
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so what should be the internal temperature for various meats?

beef = 225F
pork = ??
chicken = ??

also, estimated cooking times for various meats?

beef = 1 to 1.5 hour per pound
pork = ??
chicken = ??

sorry for all the questions, folks...
 
You wouldn't ask a loaded question now would ya?

All depends on the cut of the meat/animal.

Pork butt 185+, but more on feel of tenderness.

Beef brisket 185+. but more on feel of tenderness.

Poultry 170 thigh/leg and 160 breast.

Burgers or any ground meat 160.

Steaks are 125-160 depending on your liking.
 
Sorry Jason. Just saw Beef - 225F internal.

Folks, please weigh in if I've lost my mind but beef, or any other meat, at 225F Int is leather.

Are you funnin' us
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James
 
Originally posted by James Harvey:
Sorry Jason. Just saw Beef - 225F internal.

Folks, please weigh in if I've lost my mind but beef, or any other meat, at 225F Int is leather.

Are you funnin' us
icon_smile.gif


James

oops. for some reason i thought beef was supposed to be 225F but thats supposed to be the cooking temperature.

i was actually able to find the ideal internal temperatures on the USDA website.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactS...nd_Poultry/index.asp
 
OK. I'm going to keep playing. Glenn nailed it above but, BBQ internal temps will be much higher than advertised temps for meat (other than chicken I guess). For the types of meat we smoke, you have to "cook through doneness" to tender. A steak or standing rib roast is medium rare at 130F, pork roasts or tenderloin are juicy at 140F. Burgers are dealers choice depending on quality of meat and personal preference (as is everything).

I don't mean to make light of the question
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but there's a wealth of knowledge under Cooking Topics on this site.
 
Originally posted by jason.yee:
so what should be the internal temperature for various meats?

beef = 225F
pork = ??
chicken = ??

also, estimated cooking times for various meats?

beef = 1 to 1.5 hour per pound
pork = ??
chicken = ??

sorry for all the questions, folks...
Start keeping a log of your cooks, it will help you dial in the final temps you like and how long it takes particular cuts of meat to cook. As the others have said, cooked to a safe temp and done aren't always the same.

For instance I'll cook my pork butt to 200 internal but a lean pork loin I'll only take to 140. Same for beef. If I'm wanting to do a nice thin sliced roast beef, i'll pull it at 130ish. Pulled beef from a chuck roast though I'll take to 200.
 
Originally posted by jason.yee:
how are these compared to maple leaf briquettes?

i mean, these are $8.49 for 8kg while maple leaf is $14.99 for the same weight. is maple leaf worth almost double the price? or should i just stick with the royal oak plus?

I have mainly used Kingsford, I usually get it from Home hardware. I have used Maple Leaf lump, goodstuff. Tried a bag of Maple leaf briquettes yesterday. Filled ring like I normally do, 1/2-3/4 chimney of lit. Lots of heat(busted thermometer, so I'm not sure of exact temps), ribs were ready in 3 hours, charred on outside, but delicious on inside. Threw a meatloaf on after the ribs, smoked it for 1-1/2 hours then shut down theWSM. Checked on thecharcoal this morning, till have at least half a ring of carcoal to reuse.

Maple Leaf seems to generate more heat than Kingsford. I will put less charcoal in for my next cook, and get another thermometer.
 

 

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